Patents by Inventor Kyle Ballantine

Kyle Ballantine has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Metal-insulator-metal near-field transducer for heat-assisted magnetic recording
    Patent number: 10360939
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device comprising a waveguide and a near-field transducer (NFT) coupled to the waveguide. The NFT comprises a core layer comprising an insulator, a first metal layer adjacent to the core layer, and a second layer adjacent to the first metal layer, wherein the second layer comprises a material that is substantially mechanically and thermally stable and thereby functions as a hard jacket to mitigate deformation of the NFT. The first metal layer may comprise a plasmonic metal, such as gold. The second layer may comprise tungsten, chromium, or a dielectric material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignees: Western Digital Technologies, Inc., The Provost, Fellows, Scholars and other Members of Board of Trinity College Dublin
    Inventors: Alexander Krichevsky, Frank Bello, Christopher Wolf, Fenghua Zong, Daniel Wolf, David McCloskey, Kyle Ballantine, John Donegan
  • Architecture for metal-insulator-metal near-field transducer for heat-assisted magnetic recording
    Patent number: 10249336
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are embodiments of a heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device comprising a waveguide and a near-field transducer (NFT) coupled to the waveguide in a direct-fire configuration. The NFT comprises an insulator core encased in a metal portion. The insulator core comprises a rectangular portion and a tapered portion, wherein the rectangular portion is between the waveguide and the tapered portion. The metal portion comprises a plasmonic metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignees: Western Digital Technologies, Inc., The Provost, Fellows, Scholars and other Members of Board of Trinity College Dublin
    Inventors: Alexander Krichevsky, Frank Bello, Christopher Wolf, Fenghua Zong, Daniel Wolf, David McCloskey, Kyle Ballantine, John Donegan